Used widely in assessing the achievement of students and adults, the Woodcock Johnson III Test of Achievement is a test your child will likely take at some point during their academic career. If your child is gifted and will be seeking admittance to a TAG or advanced-placement school, they will almost certainly take this test as part of an entrance examination. Understanding exactly what will be tested can help you assist your student in testing preparation.

Intended as a guide for administrators, the Woodcock Johnson III Reports, Recommendations and Strategies guide is also an excellent resource for parents. You can read more about this guide at http://www.amazon.com/Woodcock-Johnson-III-Reports-Recommendations-Strategies/dp/0471419990, although it is available from a variety of other vendors as well.

Once you understand what criteria administrators will be looking for and how the test is scored, you can begin test preparation with your child. It’s important to remember that over-preparation can lead to test anxiety and poor performance, so avoid placing any undue pressure on your child. A few brief and enjoyable review sessions, however, will help your child feel familiarized and comfortable with the rest itself. A relaxed and confident student is much more likely to score accurately than one who is anxious.

The best way to help your child prepare is to look at the format of practice questions and practice materials, then dive into some of the practice questions. It can be helpful to start with materials a grade or two below your child’s ability level, so that s/he can get familiar with the format and work up confidence in tackling some easier questions. Then move on to your child’s grade level and spend the bulk of your time there. Once your child gets the hang of the questions, do some from a grade or two above his or her level to really challenge them and get them ready for the harder questions that may pop up on the test.

California’s STAR program, standing for Standardized Testing And Reporting, is a set of standardized tests designed to ensure a quality education for all California students. The STAR exam is given in the spring of each school year to students in grades two through eleven.

What is Tested?

Depending on your child’s grade, different subjects are tested in the STAR exam battery. Children in grades two through eleven are tested on ELA (English Language Arts) and math. Grades four through seven, in addition to English language arts and math, are tested on writing skills as part of their ELA battery.

During grades five through eleven, science is added to the STAR exam battery, along with the aforementioned subjects.

Students in grades nine, ten and eleven face an additional subject. English language arts, math and science are still tested, with the addition of history-social science (often called social studies). You can read an overview of the STAR exam at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Standardized_Testing_and_Reporting_(STAR)_Program

Testing Goals

As with most standardized tests, the goal of the STAR exam is to help ensure a standard of education for each student. The tested subjects were chosen because they are widely regarded as ‘core’ subjects, meaning that a firm grasp of them is vital to success in the world after high school.

Since the phenomenon of students ‘falling through the cracks’ of the education system has long been a widely recognized issue, the STAR exam attempts to remedy this situation as well. Testing students at nearly every grade level helps to ensure that if a student is struggling, the issue can be brought to the attention of parents and teachers. If necessary, appropriate steps such as remedial classes, tutoring or extra at-home study can be implemented in order to bring the student up to the level of her peers. The STAR exam is intended to be used in conjunction with the California High School Exit Exam as a method of ensuring that each graduating senior has the skills necessary to thrive in college or the workforce.

How to Choose Questions

If your child is in grades K through 5, the history and social studies portion of their tests will be integrated into English language comprehension and will focus more on understanding what they read than the recollection of facts.

A great way to begin is to look through your child’s current history or social studies textbooks. Testing is administered each year in grade-specific levels, making their current textbooks excellent bases for practice questions.

A page, paragraph or sentence in a textbook is a question in and of itself. A simple method of choosing the best questions is to choose pieces of text which are structurally different. For example, you might choose one paragraph which states both fact and opinion, asking your child to identify the different tones. You could also select a statement and ask questions regarding its intent (statement, persuasion or argument). Virtually any aspect of English reading, grammar or interpretation is a good basis for a history practice question. Visiting http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RH/introduction  will give you a breakdown of history and social studies subject matter by field and by grade level.

How to Administer Questions

 In order to achieve optimal results, experts agree that a low-stress, relaxed atmosphere is best for practice testing. Putting too much pressure on your child, or forcing them to practice for hours at a time, is generally counter productive. Instead of preparing your child, this type of forced practice instills anxiety, which can show up on testing day and result in an abnormally low score which does not reflect your child’s true abilities.

Each child’s score is analyzed to see where they are strong and where they need to improve. Additionally, at the aggregate level, scores are examined to see how well a school, district, or even state is performing.

The ITBS test levels 5 and 6 are intended for children in kindergarten and first grade. These tests are read aloud by the teacher, with the exception of the reading section. Tests 5 and 6 are not timed, and cover Vocabulary, Word Analysis, Listening, Math and Reading (words and comprehension tested independently).

Once children advance to the second grade, they will begin taking the ITBS in a slightly different way. In second and third grade, new sections are added to the ITBS – Science, Social Studies and Sources of Information. Tests are still read aloud, with the exception of reading-related sections. A comprehensive breakdown of testing sections, times and other details can be found at http://www.riverpub.com/products/itbs/details.html.

In levels 7 through 9, most of the ITBS sections are timed and not read aloud. Sections include Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension, Language (Spelling; Capitalization; Punctuation; Usage and Expression), Math (Concepts and Estimation; Problem Solving and Data Interpretation; Computation), Social Studies, Science and Sources of Information (Maps and Diagrams and Reference Materials). In Level 9 (grade 4) Word Analysis and Listening are also included.

Parents can help their children prepare by using workbooks, games, and online materials. It’s important to use materials geared toward your child’s level so that they will be prepared for the material they encounter on the test.

The Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking are often given to children as part of advanced placement examinations. They can also be given to adults at any stage of life, and are used in a broad variety of settings including institutional and clinical. Rather than testing for learned knowledge, innate intelligence or problem-solving abilities, as many other tests do, these tests assess an individual’s capacity for creative thinking.

It may sound strange or even impossible to test for creativity, but these tests serve an important purpose. Specifically, studies have shown that, in many cases, the brightest children are also often the most creative and imaginative. If you’d like to assess your child’s creativity at home before testing day, you can visit  http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/galleries/2010/07/10/creativity-test.html#slide1. The first slide shows a common testing image, while the subsequent slides show how different test-takers interpreted and modified the images. The results are analyzed by two psychology professors who are experts on the Torrance. This Torrance sample test is obviously incomplete, but gives you an idea of what your child can expect. It also gives you an idea of what constitutes a “good answer” to a creative question or exercise.

If you suspect that your child is gifted but they spend much of the classroom time daydreaming, drawing or otherwise being inappropriately creative, you may want to have the TTCT administered. A Torrance sample test is an easy way to determine, at home, whether the test would be a good idea. Many seemingly ‘distracted’ students are in fact extremely bright; they are simply bored by their lessons. In creative students, this leads to daydreaming and other creative activities as a method of keeping themselves amused during school.

While a creativity test may sound hard to prepare for, you can start right now by nurturing your child’s creativity in everyday situations. One good way to do this is to read part of a book or story to your child and ask them to finish it. You can also describe a scene and have them draw a picture of it. Both of these things will stretch your child’s creativity muscles!

While the CogAT exam is commonly used to determine if a child should be included in the gifted and talented program at many schools across the country, the test results from the CogAT exam are also used by teachers and administrators in a number of other ways.

The CogAT exam doesn’t just show which students are gifted or advanced in their reasoning abilities. It also shows which students may be lagging behind their peers, which might face other types of learning challenges, and which may benefits from more focused attention in particular subjects or academic disciplines. In other words, assessment like the CogAT exam can be beneficial for all students and not just those who are identified as gifted through this standardized test.

Once your child has taken the CogAT exam, you will be privy to his or her scores. Understanding what the scores mean can be challenging. Don’t be afraid to schedule a time to discuss your child’s performance with his or her teacher, and don’t overlook the internet as a resource for better understanding what your child’s CogAT exam scores actually mean.

 It’s also a good idea to check to see if your school holds informational sessions about the CogAT and how they will score it. These sessions may be held before the test, so keep an eye out as soon as you find out that your child will be taking the Cognitive Abilities Test. These sessions are helpful because they will help you understand how to best help your child prepare for the exam.

Of course, if at all possible, it is extremely helpful to your child’s chances if he or she prepares for the test. Even just looking at practice materials can be a help, since they will help familiarize your child with the format of the test.

OLSAT level D testing is used for a variety of purposes. If your child is beginning at a new school, the test may be used as part of an entrance examination. This is especially common at private, gifted and advanced placement institutions. The OLSAT is also used to identify potential difficulties, allowing teachers and parents to provide appropriate assistance. The OLSAT also gives insight into how a student is progressing through school, both individually and as compared to their peers.

Children taking the level D version will be presented with question in graduated degrees of difficulty, unlike lower levels where more difficult questions are placed between simpler ones. This transition helps to familiarize students with the OLSAT format they will be using in years to come.

It’s important to remember that the OLSAT doesn’t test common school subjects; rather, it measures your child’s ability to comprehend information and use it to reason.

Whenever possible, it’s best to start preparing at least a month before your child takes the test. Of course, this isn’t always possible, especially if you are given short notice that your child will be taking the test. If that’s the case, don’t worry – familiarizing your child with the format of the test and the kinds of skills it employs will still be very helpful.

Brand new and reflecting the very latest in academic and developmental research, the WPPSI 4 is the latest version of the popular Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence. Not all testing agents have yet adopted this new version. While the previous WPPSI is perfectly adequate, you can (in most cases) request that your child be given the WPPSI IV. For an overview of the test itself, visit http://www.pearsonassessments.com/HAIWEB/Cultures/en-us/Productdetail.htm?Pid=WPPSI-IV.

The test is primarily used in three ways. Intelligence assessment is often used to determine, at least in part, admittance to preschool. This especially true of gifted or advanced preschools, and is also done in gifted or advanced primary schools. Next, the assessment can be helpful in finding or indicating developmental delays. In addition, the test is commonly used as a broad and general intelligence test.

There are three types of sub-tests within the test itself. These are known as core, supplemental and optional sub-tests. Core sub-tests are required for an accurate score; supplemental sub-tests can be used in place of an age-inappropriate section or simply as supplemental information; optional sub-tests are strictly for additional information.

The WPPSI 4 is an important test due to the WPPSI’s widespread presence on the testing scene. The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence is a broadly-used test for determining intelligence and, in many cases, admission to a prized program or school. Even some preschools use the WPPSI for students and prospective students.

It’s important to remember that different versions of the WPPSI are given to different aged children. Children between 2.5 years and 3 years 11 months are given one version of the test; children between 4 years and 7 years, 3 months are given another.

Because the WPPSI is such a popular test, it’s a good idea to begin preparing your child as soon as you can. There are many useful resources, from workbooks to online sources, that will help ready your child for test day.

The ISEE is used by a number of schools and school districts to determine whether children qualify for a gifted and talented or other program. It is also used to determine an individual student’s academic performance. The test is typically given to children enrolling in the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, as well as those entering ninth, tenth, eleventh, or twelfth grade.

But where exactly can one find an ISEE practice test? There are many options available, depending on your resourcefulness and budget. One of the easiest but most expensive ways to acquire an ISEE practice test is by enrolling in a review class. You may opt to enroll in an Independent School Entrance Examination individual tutoring program where you can intensively review for the test or join other students in a classroom review session.

On the other hand, you can review using an ISEE practice test which you can purchase in bookstores or in the internet. You can even borrow review materials from other students who already took the ISEE or from those who are undergoing review classes.

Do you want to avail yourself of free ISEE practice questions? No problem! Again, the internet is the best source of such material. You can find various education websites offering free ISEE practice questions. After taking an ISEE practice test, you can also know your score from the site free of charge.

Preparing your child for the ISEE can be a nerve wracking experience, but it can also be fun and educational – for both you and your child!

http://www.kaptest.com/K8/ISEE/index.html

Kindergarten testing is not new to everybody especially to parents. Many schools conduct kindergarten test to interested learners before they’re accepted. Mostly, they’re used as an assessment tool to check your child’s kindergarten readiness.

So when is the right time to let your child undergo kindergarten testing? If your child is currently enrolled in preschool then chances are he or she will take a kindergarten test before moving to kindergarten. There are preschools that conduct the said test to their pupils at the end of the school year. Meanwhile, there are also schools that require learners to take a kindergarten test developed by them before the enrolment period.

But the most favorable time for kindergarten testing is when your child reaches the age of five. By this time, he or she already exhibits characteristics which can be observed and tested. This is where a kindergarten test comes handy. It will help you determine just how ready your child is to take the next big step in the ladder of education.

While kindergarten testing may seem silly, it can actually have a huge impact on your child’s education and even his or her career choices. Even at a very young age, such testing tends to show a child’s strengths and weaknesses. This, in turn, suggests classes and career tracks that are best-suited to your child. Additionally, the tests that are administered in kindergarten can help your child develop his or her critical thinking skills and thus become a sharper, more intellectually curious thinker as he or she gets older.

When preparing your child for kindergarten testing, it’s important to keep it both entertaining and light. Don’t freak your child out or get him or her anxious — you can tell them it’s important to focus, but don’t place undue stress or pressure on them.

Here’s a sample kindergarten test for assessment http://www.schoolsparks.com/kindergarten-readiness-test.